Lake Superior: Both Beautiful and Powerful

As a Northern Michigan University student you will have many opportunities to interact with magnificent Lake Superior. We encourage you to enjoy all the natural wonder that Lake Superior has to offer, but also respect the lake’s power, too. Please do not put yourself or your friends in dangerous water-related situations. Enjoy Lake Superior, but be safe when you do.

Safety Tips for Lake Superior:

Swim where there are lifeguards. Never swim alone. Before entering the water, make sure someone knows you are doing so.

Check the City of Marquette website’s beach flag advisory system before swimming in Lake Superior. Flags are put up at South Beach, McCarty's Cove, Middle Beach and Picnic Rocks to indicate dangerous to highly dangerous rip current conditions. Also check the National Weather Service's Rip Current Forecast.

Rock formations are a likely place to find dangerously strong rip currents. This includes the Picnic Rock area, which is located on Lake Shore Boulevard, near the Lakeview Arena and a short walk from campus. Do not swim in this area. Move down the beach to McCarty’s Cove where lifeguards are located.

If you see someone caught in a rip current, going into the rip current area yourself is not the best solution.

Strong winds on Lake Superior that create huge waves are amazing to see and photograph, but they, too, can be deadly. Do not go into the water or out onto the breakwall at Presque Isle Park during high winds.